Blech! Dairy farm horror story

[dorkulon]

Are dairy farms really this gross?

http://www.buffalobeast.com/54/udder.htm

[Dogmudgeon]

1. Ah ... when Hipsters work on farms ...

If the cows were being mistreated, he should have called the state Department of Agriculture and raised hell. We're pretty aggressive here in Pennsylvania, and we're a big dairy state, too.

And tell that writer not to EVER get a job as an produce-farm hand. If he thinks pus in milk is bad, he's not going to like the parasites and the small-mammal death count in the veggie bin.

--p!

[dorkulon]

3. Yeah, but the pus is IN the milk.

People drink it. That registers higher on my gross-ometer than "this bell pepper touched a dead animal." I wash my veggies.

Edit: It should be noted that I'm eating yogurt as I type this.

[beam me up scottie]

5. Yeah, but they pump so much antibiotics into these animals, the pus is safe.

It neutralizes it.

[dorkulon]

6. I gotta say I don't find that very reassuring.

I think I'd prefer just plain pus to an extra dose of antibiotics every time I slurp down a latte.

[beam me up scottie]

8. The cows aren't thrilled about it either.

Buy local, buy organic.

[beam me up scottie]

7. If you have to buy dairy,

look for products from local organic farms. You can usually visit their farms so you know how the animals are treated.

It costs more, but it's worth it to know the animals aren't being treated like the ones in that article. And no gross out factor, either.

[jedr]

15. the person who wrote this is truly clueless;

as to how food is produced. Could write paragraphs on this subject but will just say that I support programs to get school aged children out to the farms and learn that chocolate milk doesn't come from brown cows and beef steak isn't stamped out by machines and wrapped on styrofoam plates. Yes cows give feces and all milk isn't pure from the cow. But people want cheap food and inspectors are hated by industry. Could be that this farm had some problems, but would be shut down if things were as bad as this person portrays. Food is all economies of scale and if people want cheap food then mega-farms will produce it. Buy local and know what your getting. P.S.... If you want to work 16 hr days, 7 days a week and lose money hand over fist, become a farmer!

[dorkulon]

17. You sound a tad defensive.

Not a dairy farmer, are you? Perhaps in Eden, NY?

:tinfoilhat:

[jedr]

19. No, just worked in the food industry for over 35 yrs;

and get upset when people misrepresent the facts. Am not a supporter of factory farms , but know well that the demand for cheap food has brought the industry to where it is. I am a supporter of buy local and support local farmers because they support your local community with taxes.

[dorkulon]

20. If that's true, why call someone "clueless"

for highlighting particularly egregious conditions?

[jedr]

21. Because this is the way milk is produced;

And the conditions on this farm are not typical and I feel misrepresented by exaggeration. At this point I will say that you have your opinion and I will hold mine. This is a discussion board ,and I have given you an other view on this subject.

[Dogmudgeon]

22. I was thinking the same thing

All the dairy farmers I've met are absolutely obsessed with keeping their animals healthy. I live near an ag college -- Delaware Valley College. "Signs" was filmed near there. There are a lot of "farm geeks" around (if you can call them that). Peta may not be popular around here, but animal rescue and shelter programs are quite active.

The idea that dairy farmers are sadists who get their jollies torturing cows is nonsense. A farmer who abused his or her animals would become VERY unpopular very fast. Same thing for puppy-mill owners -- most were run out of state over the last couple of years.

Like I wrote -- if the writer was upset by abuses of the animals, he should blow the whistle. Loud.

--p!

[dorkulon]

23. So, he should blow the whistle, but not write about it?

This is the same thing people say about Michael Moore--cherry picking worst-case scenarios. This guy worked at ONE dairy farm in his life, and this was the one. He shouldn't talk about it because it's not a perfectly representative example of the industry?

[Dogmudgeon]

25. Bu he's NOT blowing the whistle

And the dairy industry has a lot of internal policing -- the factory farms are the ones breaking this system (and everything else they get their hands on). Except for the agri-corps, it's nearly impossible to isolate a dairy farm socially and in the market. Not even the Amish have been able to do it.

Let him talk about it, sure. I never said otherwise. But what about the follow-through? A photo of a puking slackerdude isn't going to get the farmers and vets to drive over and convince the negligent farmer to take better care of the livestock -- and offer help if it's necessary.

And if it's a factory farm, the local press and the USDA need turn up the heat.

--p!

[MADem]

2. Not all. I have been on several that were lovely. They were small operations, though. NT

[Warpy]

4. Factory farming is universally ugly

and I can't support it.

As for the critters in the veggie bins and grain silos, if critters and bugs can't eat it, I won't either.

[tanglefoot]

9. No, they aren't in general

In fact, in my state they can't be. Wisconsin has strict requirements for herd health and routinely inspects dairy farms. Wisconsin's standards are stricted than the USDA's and milk haulers are required to report problems.

And, though I would say that it is possible for a farm can be run this terribly, it would only be to the detriment to the owners.

I have doubts about this story as it is written. The author may be making an attempt to report, but his accuracy is lacking and there are loads of exaggerations. No cow puts out 120 pounds of feces in a day. In fact, they don't eat even half that in a day. It's impossible to put out more than you consume. Electric fences are low voltage - enough to smart if a human touched them but not enough to throw you. The reason is that cows are more succeptable to voltage, so it doesn't have to be that strong. Dairies where they pressure cows to milk three times a day generally keep them in bright lights all the time to trick their bodies into believing the day is longer, not dark barns with one light bulb. This encourages them to produce enough for three milkings eight hours apart. More frequently, though, you'll find cows are milked twice in twenty four hours, twelve hours apart. If you've ever nursed a baby, you'd say that isn't often enough. So whether or not one way is better than the other is in the eye of the beholder. But then if you've ever breast fed, you'd know that a cow wouldn't need to be prodded, poked, wipped or shocked to get them into the milking parlor (not "milking gallery" as this author says). Milking is a relief to the cow, plus it's usually a time for feeding which keeps them distracted enough for milking that they don't fuss at the milking machine.

Edited to add that if you have to put chains around the legs of a calf to bring it out of the mother, it's because it's breech or is in some other kind of bad position. There's generally no need to interfer with the birth. By the time you can see legs, it's usually minutes from shooting out on its own. Another reason to question accuracy of the reporter in this story.

So, my advice is to take this report with a grain of salt.

[dorkulon]

10. "cows are more susceptible to voltage"

How's that?

[tanglefoot]

11. Their shape and the fact that they have four legs on the ground

Their mass. That's why they are so succeptible to stray voltage and we aren't.

[beam me up scottie]

12. I've seen heifers walk through high voltage fences like they were Godzilla.

Not the brightest creatures but usually gentle and trusting and I love them anyway.

[tanglefoot]

13. Stampeding is something entirely different

It generally wouldn't take much electricity to convince me to stay away from a fence as a matter of routine. It certainly wouldn't have to knock me on my ass every time I got near it. As I kid, I got shocked enough by unplugging those old time appliances that I can safely say that terrible buzzing feeling would be enough.

[beam me up scottie]

14. No, I said WALKED, not stampeded.

More than once.

[orleans]

16. i'm not reading this--i'm not reading this--i'm not reading this

[dorkulon]

18. LOL hard to blame you. (nt)

[NuttyFluffers]

24. "ask not how sausages and laws are made" - a fortune cookie

if you have a squeamish stomach, then an applicable addage on to how view most things in life.

mmm, chocolate...:9 shh, don't talk to me now! just let the chocolate roll around and melt a bit. mmmmm...